Dr ROBERT ORGAN

 

THE CIRCUS

 

 

 

 

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THE CIRCUS 2018

Posters

Tour venues

“Big Top”

Performers

Clowns

Animals

Showtime

Object manipulations

- Fine Art

- Folk Art

Merchandise

 

CONTACT

 

 

The circus was depicted in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 film as “The Greatest Show on Earth”. It is also referred to as “The Show of Shows”.   It has had the power to entertain and enthral not only audiences through the generations but also many photographers.  This can be summed up by Mary Ellen Mark who quoted: “I'm a street photographer, but I'm interested in any ironic, whimsical images, and there's something very romantic about a circus.” 

This photographic project interprets common aspects of the circus in themed groups of photographs:

1.  Posters

The poster brings details and an air of expectation for forthcoming events.  The photographs in this series show posters, placards, banners, wall art, graffiti and building decoration.      

2.  Tour venues

A feature of the circus is that it packs up and moves to the next venue.  It rarely stays in the same place for any length of time.  In this series, photographs are grouped by city to reflect the transient, nomadic nature of a touring circus.  Glimpses of the main features of the city visited are captured because it is usually only these sights that can be seen in the time available.

3.  “Big Top”

The “Big Top” is the canvas tent in which the circus performance take place.  The use of textiles to facilitate such decoration and protection are explored in photographs taken mainly in Riga, which is famous for its contemporary production and use of knitwear.

4.  Performers

This series of black and white photographs shows people undergoing leisure activities or work, i.e. performing and engaging.  The use of black of white is a deliberate choice by the photographer and is consistent with his approach of keeping pictures of people and human situations in monochrome form.

5.  Clowns

Clowns are the staple of any circus.  This series is perhaps the most obviously interpreted in the project because it comprises photographs of models of clowns taken predominantly at the Pevensey Scarecrow Festival.
 
6.  Animals

As for clowns, the use of animals in the circus has been going on for generations - acrobats jumping through hoops on horseback, lion taming and dancing elephants all come to mind.  This is depicted through photographs of models of animals created for all sorts of reasons, e.g. merchandising, decorative purposes etc.

7.  Showtime

Animals are on display again in this series.  This time, however, the animals have been brought to the show ring at country shows where they are judged for their appearance and breeding.

8.  Object manipulations

The circus is the realm of the magician and the juggler where objects are manipulated to entertain.  The concept of object manipulation is interpreted in this series to mean the manipulation of materials to create images of men, women and other objects.  This is a recurring fascination for the photographer.  The series is split into two further categories: fine art  (where manipulated objects are created deliberately for artistic endeavour or formal, functional displays) and folk art (where objects are created for commercial activity or local decoration).

9.  Merchandise

The sale of memorabilia and food at events is a response to the commercial reality of living in the modern world.  A selection of these items are shown.

Click here or on themes on the left hand side of the screen to see the photographs